Miracle Are Ready To Rebound

A 17-point Home Loss To Charlotte On Saturday Has Orlando Fired Up To Face A Balanced Squad From Minnesota.

July 7, 1999|By Shannon Rose of The Sentinel Staff

Andrea Congreaves hit the floor more than a couple of times during practice Tuesday. Adrienne Johnson found herself bumped to the wood as well. Carla McGhee's bruising blocking out flattened another teammate.

This is what the Orlando Miracle call preparation - at least when the Minnesota Lynx come to town. In a battle of expansion teams, the Miracle (5-4) meet the Lynx (5-5) at 7:30 tonight at Orlando Arena.

``They are one of the toughest teams in the league,'' Congreaves said. ``They are very physical at really every position. You've got to be mentally prepared to go in for 40 minutes and battle. Otherwise you'll get killed. We've knocked each other around during practice and gotten ourselves mentally prepared because that is what we are going to face [tonight).''

The Lynx aren't a very tall team, with only one player at 6 feet 3, but they make up for their size deficit with a strong, physical style that wears down opponents and gives them little room to roam. The challenges for the Miracle will be to not get pushed around and to answer with their own tightly knit defense.

Minnesota puts a handful of versatile players on the court who can score from all spots on the floor. With guard Tonya Edwards, forward Brandy Reed and do-it-all Katie Smith, the Lynx are dangerous inside and out.

``The Minnesota Lynx are talented at all positions,'' said Miracle Coach Carolyn Peck.

It will be a good matchup for the Miracle, who lack height but also have players who are a threat from all over the court. Nykesha Sales leads four Miracle players in double-figure scoring, averaging 15.1 points. Taj McWilliams has been strong inside with 8.6 rebounds per game.

Technically, the Miracle will be meeting the Lynx for the first time this season. But with two exhibition games and a point guard who used to run the show for the majority of the Lynx - aka Columbus Quest - the game definitely will have a familiar feeling.

Shannon Johnson played for Lynx Coach Brian Agler and with current Minnesota players Andrea Lloyd-Curry, Angie Potthoff, Sonja Tate, Smith and Edwards. She knows the plays, the players and Agler. She expects a lot of screens and a fast pace.

``We have to play consistent defense and at the same time keep attacking them,'' Johnson said. ``It's all about execution.''

But even with the inside scoop, Johnson said it will take a complete team defensive effort to disarm Minnesota's arsenal.

``I know their tendencies,'' said Johnson, who helped the Quest win two American Basketball League titles. ``But you never know exactly what they will do. You can't say we are going to stop this player or that player. We have to stop them all around.''

The Miracle were brought back to reality Saturday when Charlotte rocked them at the O-rena, snapping a four-game winning streak that included a victory over Houston, the Comets' only loss this season.

The Miracle hadn't practiced well for the games leading up to the Charlotte contest, but Peck said she has seen a more focused, intense squad the past two days.

``They've bounced back very well,'' Peck said. ``They've come out and played hard.''

Congreaves said they've erased the complacency they had against Charlotte. ``We realized we have to play hard every single game,'' she said.